We Sleep In The Ocean
by Snacky8
Summary: Prompt: Peter/Susan, the Guard doesn't like the ocean. Warning for mild incest.


The Royal Guard of Narnia doesn't like the ocean. It's too big, too open, too hard to protect their kings and queens, too easy for threats to hide and remain unseen until it's too late. Anytime their majesties inspect the Royal Fleet, or go down to the cove, or walk along the harbor, or, Aslan forbid, board a ship and sail away, the Guard grows even more cautious and wary (and occasionally more seasick) than usual. Still, the kings and queens feel that their duties and pleasures should take them to the sea, so the Guard swallows their protests and follows their majesties down to the shore.

It's even more nerve-wracking at night, which, unfortunately, is when Queen Susan likes to go down to the cove to swim on the sweltering nights of late summer. Luckily the cove is fairly easy to protect, with the Dolphins watching from the sea, and the gryphons on the cliffs and the roofs and parapets of Cair Paravel. All the Guard has to do is cover the beach.

Zhiraf, the Jaguar guard assigned to the Queen Susan, follows her when she slips out of her bed on a hot summer night. The air is thick and heavy, and the heat is 's only a very rare breeze, but when it comes it carries the sweet scents of the jasmine and moonflowers in the garden below. He can smell the tang of sweat on the queen and he knows she has not slept at all tonight, but instead spent the long dark hours tossing in her sheets, and turning and staring out the window by her bed, looking down at the sea.

When the Queen finally gives up on sleep and leaves her bed, taking a candle with her and clad only in a loose cotton shift, he sighs softly, knowing where she's headed.

She hears the sigh and smiles at him. "It will be much cooler on the beach, Zhiraf."

He bows his head, but he doesn't say a word as he follows her silently through the castle, down past the treasure chambers and the rarely used dungeons, and even further down, into the secret passages carved deep in the heart of the Cair. It's cooler down here, and the Queen's pace slows as she walks along the twisting corridors that soon start to feel more like tunnels, with the low ceilings and rough stone walls. Queen Susan stops once, to peer into one of the carefully concealed chambers that Zhiraf knows is intended to for refuge in case of emergency. He thinks that perhaps she's changed her mind about swimming, and instead will do inventory of the stores here, but she only pauses briefly, then sweeps out of the chamber and back into the tunnel, heading down to the cove.

When they come out onto the beach, the Queen blows out her candle and then tugs her shift over her head, dropping both on the sand. The ocean looks dark but shimmers with the bright reflections of the stars as Queen Susan walks slowly into the surf. Zhiraf scans the cliffs, noting the gryphons at their posts, and then the dolphins swimming up to the mouth of the cove when they realize the Queen is in the water. He takes in the scents floating on the salt air, but while there are many, none are unusual or alarming. He prowls the beach from one end to the other, until he's satisfied there's no danger to her majesty on this night, and then he drops to the sand, watching her in the water.

He thinks his Queen is right because it iis/i cooler down here on the beach and Zhiraf is tempted to join her in the water, to cool down even more. The crescent moon is high in the night sky, and shines brightly down on the cove, as he rests in the sand and watches the Queen swims steadily back and forth, long strokes and steady kicks cutting through the dark water. She occasionally dives down deep, which Zhiraf doesn't like at all, because he likes his Queen in his sight at all times.

He tenses briefly as he scents others approaching through the same passages he and Queen Susan came through but then relaxes as he recognizes the familiar scents. After a moment, the High King and his Wolf guard Gareth emerge onto the beach. Zhiraf is not surprised when the King Peter sheds his clothes and races into the water, diving under and swimming out to the Queen Susan. Zhiraf hears her laugh when the King's head pops out of the water next to her, and he watches them bobbing together in the waves.

He's also not surprised when Gareth paces the beach, nosing along the sand, checking for any dangers in the same way Zhiraf himself did not long ago. He knows their majesties are safe tonight, but he says nothing and lets the Wolf satisfy himself, as he keeps a watchful eye on their charges in the water. When the Wolf is done with his check, he thumps down in the sand behind Zhiraf, with a heavy sigh. "They're safe."

Zhiraf nods, watching King Peter tug Queen Susan under the waves, and her splash him back with a shriek of laughter. "Cooler too, I suppose."

"And the Dolphins are out there with them," Gareth adds, sounding like he's trying to convince himself.

But the dolphins are keeping their distance as their monarchs play and splash and finally just float together on the waves, hands and arms and legs entwined. Zhiraf looks at Gareth, who sighs again. The Guard doesn't like the ocean, but the Queen Susan loves it, and the High King loves the Gentle Queen. So, with the ocean breeze ruffling their fur, the Guard spends their night in the sand.


End file.
